The present invention relates to a board connecting connector to be mounted in an automobile, a motorcycle, and the like. In particular, the present invention relates to a board connecting connector having a board retaining portion to accommodate a board and a terminal retaining portion to accommodate terminals.
Patent References 1 and 2 have disclosed conventional board connecting connectors. In these years, in automobiles industries including cars and motorcycles, there has been rapid advancement in development of the conventional board connecting connectors such as those disclosed in Patent References 1 and 2.
Patent Reference 1: Japanese Patent Publication No. 5754533
Patent Reference 2: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2014-3007
According to Patent References 1 and 2, the conventional board connecting connector is composed of a set of a board retaining portion and a terminal retaining portion. The board retaining portion is to accommodate a board, on which various electronic components are mounted. The terminal retaining portion accommodates a plurality of terminals, to which cables are connected. When the board retaining portion is fitted into the terminal retaining portion, a board supported with the board retaining portion is sandwiched in a thickness direction thereof between a contact portion of the terminal provided on one side of the terminal retaining portion and another contact portion of the terminal provided on the other side of the terminal retaining portion facing to the one side. In this state, the contact portions of the terminals elastically contact with terminal portions provided on a board surface of the board.
When the conventional board connecting connector is used, for example, in a car, etc., the conventional board connecting connector tends to be exposed to vibrations and a high temperature. As a result, the contact between the terminal portions on the board surface and the contact portions of the terminals may become unstable. It should be noted that the electronic components mounted on the board are essential components for controlling an engine, a brake, and the like of a vehicle. Accordingly, it is very critical to maintain stability of the contact between the terminal portions and the contact portions.
In the conventional board connecting connector, when the board supported with the board retaining portion becomes unstable, the contact between the terminal portions on the board surface and the contact portions of the terminals tend to becomes unstable. Therefore, when the board becomes unstable, it is difficult to maintain the stability of the contact. For this reason, it is necessary to stabilize the contact between the board and the terminals when the board retaining portion is fitted into the terminal retaining portion.
In view of the problems of the conventional board connecting connector described above, an object of the present invention is to provide a board connecting connector capable of securely contacting a board with a terminal when a board retaining portion thereof is fitted into a terminal retaining portion thereof.
Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description of the present invention.